For the unknown, Pomodoro is a technique developed by Francesco Cirillo for improving your productivity. A work session is broken down to 25-minute segments and each segment is followed by a short 5-minute break. Each 25-minute work block is called a “Pomodoro“. After four Pomodoros (or four 25-mins sessions) you should take a longer break (say 15-20 minutes) and repeat the same cycle again. Read: Best Reminder Apps for Windows Pomodoro Timer For Windows
1. Focus 10
Best for: people who don’t want anything but a simple timer app Focus 10 is a simple Windows app that lets you set a Pomodoro timer on your desktop. The minimalistic design focuses mainly on offering a nonintrusive experience while you focus on your work.
In the default setting, you get 4 Pomodoros of 25 minutes each followed by 5 minutes break and a longer break at the end of all the 4 sessions. After every Pomodoro, an alarm sounds to notify you of your completed Pomodoro and the break starts immediately after. You can pause the timer in between or jump straight to the next Pomodoro if you want. The settings page offers customization of Pomodoro and breaks length, you can even change the alarm sound in the settings. Focus 10 is a free app and offers just that, however, if you want more features, read on.
Download Focus 10
2. YAPA
Best for: People looking for a simple and minimal Pomodoro timer app Yet Another Pomodoro App which is a very brilliant implementation of the Pomodoro Technique. In many ways, it’s quite similar to Focus 10; simple. A timer that counts down 25 minutes and keeps track of the number of Pomodoro sessions sits on the top right corner. It draws over other apps so that it is always on the top of the screen.
I really enjoy YAPA because its UI is non-existent and you can drag it around. You can choose the light or the dark theme and change the opacity to make it barely visible. YAPA is free and open-source.
Download YAPA
3. Focus Booster
Best for: People looking for a cross-platform Pomodoro timer that records your sessions and tracks your productivity. Focus Booster app works only when you make an account, but conveniently enough you can create a 30-day trial account that offers 20 Pomodoro sessions. All your activities are stored on the account and you can get an insight into your productivity by logging on to the website. Unlike the previous one, Focus booster also offers mobile apps for Android, iOS, and Mac.
The app also has a dark theme and you can minimize it while keeping just the timer on the screen. Your timesheet is updated every time you finish a Pomodoro and the report is generated once it gets significant data. Focus Booster is best for people who want to track their activities and generate insightful data. Focus Booster is a paid app with a 30-days free trial. Download Focus Booster (Windows | iOS | Android | Mac)
4. Focus Journal
Best for: People looking to keep track of distractions and productive activities. A Pomodoro app that implements the technique with a few more features and increases the potency of the app. Focus Journal offers more than just one profile. You can create separate timers for different tasks.
You get two buttons on the bottom; Minimize and auto distraction mode. The minimize button draws a tiny timer just like YAPA on the corner of the screen and auto distraction mode detects your distractions while running the timer. You can run this app either for productivity or to calculate distractions. In productivity mode it works like a normal Pomodoro app, however, in the distracted mode, you count the times you got distracted. It keeps a log of successful Pomodoro and distractions. Pro Tip: Use a White Noise App to minimize your distractions during a Pomodoro Session Focus Journal is free and gets the job done but doesn’t offer To-Do list integration and we’ll check it in the next app. Download Focus Journal
5. Pomotodo
Best for: people looking for a cross-platform Pomodoro timer with to-do list integration Pomotodo integrates a to-do list in this app and syncs cross-platform. It is a time management app designed for the creators. It is based on the Pomodoro Technique and GTD theory. The app syncs your activities and tasks to other devices linked with the account. You can set Pomodoro timers and to-do lists and add items to the list. You can prioritize the list items by pinning and adding hashtags. The pro version offers a few extra features in the to-do list like create sub-to-dos, set reminders, repeat, and add notes. The statistics generated by the app gives you an insight into your daily productivity, top tags show which tasks were most achieved and what is the best working time for you. This is a great app for achieving goals with an integrated to-do list. You can sync your data over the devices by signing in. The basic version is free but you can upgrade to the pro version($3.9/mo) for full features. Download Pomotodo (Windows | Mac | Android | iOS | Web)
6. Focus To Do
Best for: People looking for great for task management and report generation Focus To-Do lets you make tasks and execute them using the Pomodoro technique. You can set tasks for the day and the time required for its completion. This app keeps track of the time elapsed and tasks completed. A detailed report can be generated with the data gathered over time. You can sign in and sync your tasks to different devices and share your report. Multiple tasks can be created and you can add them to the inbox within a set time. If you feel like switching from one task to another, you can do that by simply pausing the current task and focus on the second.
The report is generated based on the daily task that you perform and the frequency of distractions. You can check your detailed report by clicking the report icon on the top right of the window and it would display daily, weekly, and monthly charts of Pomodoro events and completed tasks. The app is free for windows and offers a few in-app purchases. This app is great for task management and report generation but we can’t block apps and websites. We’ll find that feature in the next. Download Focus To-Do
7. FocusMe
Best for: People looking for Pomodoro App that can block distraction as well FocusMe is more than just a timer app and not only it sets the timer to make you more productive but also keeps you from being distracted. We tested app blockers for Android and works similar to those apps. This app offers plans with which you can create plans in this app or choose from existing plans. Some of the plans listed on the app are social media block, block internet, Pomodoro Focus, and Time Limit News. These are not a gimmick but this app actually stops you from getting distracted by automatically minimizing the apps and closing tabs while running.
FocusMe encourages you to take breaks and has an option of forced breaks. It essentially takes over the screen rendering your computer unusable for the time period, forcing you to spend time away from your computer, I can see it would be helpful in creating a mental break. You can check your website stats and App stats and introspect about your usage habits. FocusMe is a paid app with a subscription of $2.5/mo and has a free trial. Download FocusMe
8. Pomodone
Best for: People looking for a Pomodoro timer with integration to task management tool which links popular tools like Todoist, Wunderlist, Asana, Trello, and Evernote. PomoDone is the most advanced Pomodoro timer for windows in the list. In fact, it’s much more than a Pomodoro timer, for example, it lets you sync your tasks with most of the task management tools and also encourages you to complete the tasks. I work with Trello to keep track of my daily tasks and using this app to get the work done becomes so easier. I can just pick my card and set a timer and get to work. As soon as I’m done with the task I can update it in the Pomodone app and it directly updates Done to Trello.
All your active tasks are shown in the window. You can change the settings of how a timer reacts and does when invoked and finished. You can check the time log and see how much time you’ve spent and on which task. This insightful data is available instantly in the app and you can probably check it through the web app. It is a subscription-based plan and you get many advanced features, though you can try the free version which has a few limitations like 1-month access and link with two apps(out of 5).Download Pomodone (Windows | Mac | Android | iOS | Web)
Closing Words
Yapa is my favorite Pomodoro Timer Windows app because it has the most intuitive timer. While Focus Journal and Focus Booster give you insights into your activities, FocusME blocks you from using any apps while forcing you to be productive. These were some of our choices, try a few for yourselves and let us know the results. Overall, Pomodoro timers are best for the type of work that is independent of other people. For example, I’ll use a Pomodoro timer, while I’m writing this article, but not while a sales call or brainstorming with my team. Also, don’t do more than 10 Pomodoro in a day. The less you do it, the more effective they become. Also Read: 7 Best Pomodoro Chrome Extensions to Boost Your Productivity
